Mr. sanneh,

Thanks for the information. It is very dis-heartening to see how much of our
beaches have been washed away during the past few years particularly in
areas between the former muslim cemetry to Mile 2 central prisons.

Considering the collosal sum of money invoved (UA 15.12 million) and the
long timeframe for implementation (30 months), the project must be a very
big one indeed. Can you please shed more light on the implementation. You
mentioned that "Government opted for Option 1 for reasons of costs and
technical feasibility among other factors". This option, I presume, is
"beach restoration with sand from "external" source;". If indeed this is the
case, are we talking of importing sand, say from the Sahara desert or some
similar place or what? Your clarification would be much appreciated.

Have a very good day, Gassa.


>From: Sidi Sanneh <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Addressing Gambia's Coastal Erosion Problems
>Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2001 23:07:56 -0500
>
>Ms.Diop,
>
>I am assuming that the serious nature of the erosion of Gambia's coastline
>is recognised by all and thus I need not get into the extent of the havoc
>already caused by it. For those who did not take the problem seriously were
>rudely awakened on the night of 8th February, 2001 when, in the area
>between the Old Muslim Cemetery and "Tonasi" or Alice Carr, the high tide
>crossed the Banjul-SerreKunda Highway. If mitigating measures are not taken
>now, the highway faces the threat of being engulfed by the ocean, resulting
>in the isolation of Banjul from the rest of the country. I personally
>inspected the site the same morning of the incident.
>
>The sediment deposition phenomenon at Barra Ferry Terminal is another
>concern of Government and the Department o
>f Works.  Siltation at the Barra
>Ferry access piers has increased, restricted ferry operation to period of
>high tide conditions.  We have two problems facing us here (a) restricted
>ferry operation and (b) the number of Banjul-Barra ferries is now down to
>one.  The first problem can and will be addressed by the proposed Coastal
>Protection Project. The second, I understand, is being addressed through
>the purchase of an additional ferry.
>
>In response to the specific questions posed by Ms. Diop, I shall be as
>brief as possible; a highly risky proposition given the technical
>complexity of the study:
>
>1. The Coastal Protection Study commenced in January 2000 was successfully
>completed in April 2001. A Dutch consulting firm by the name of HASKONIN
>conducted the study.
>
>2. The model that was developed during the studies, divided the areas for
>implementing erosion protection measures into four zones. Z
>one 1 (Banjul
>Point to Sand Spit)or old Madi's flats to around Mile 4-5 area. Zone 2(Sand
>spit to Cape Point);Zone 3 (Cape Point to Bakau) and Zone 4 (Bakau to
>Kololi). The protective measures proposed in the erosion zones are
>classified into "soft" (reshaping and restoring the coastline through suppy
>of sand) and "hard" (rock groynes, revetments and repair of old timber
>groynes). The "soft" measures are common in all four zones whereas the the
>hard measures exclude Zone 4.
>
>3. Government was presented with four Options including beach restoration
>with sand from "external" source; restoration with sand from spit involving
>the removal of the sand spit after Wadner Beach and beyond Oyster creek,
>and building by nature.
>
>4. The sedimentation problem at Barra Ferry Terminal will be addressed
>through a single Option recommended by the consultant i.e. hopper dredging
>
>5.
>Government opted for Option 1 for reasons of costs and technical
>feasibility among other factors.
>
>An Action Plan already exists and ready for implementation once funds are
>made available by the AfBD and Opec Fund in September, 2001.  The estimated
>cost of the Project is UA 15.12 million (1UA=GMD17.99=US$1.30)with AfDB
>putting up UA10 million, Opec Fund UA 4.46 million and Govt. UA 1.66
>million.
>
>The estimated starting date and duration is January 2002 to June 2004 (30
>months).  I can assure you Ms. Diop that Government appreciates the urgency
>of the problem.  Infact, under normal circumstances, this project would
>have been scheduled for funding in the middle of next year but because of
>the incident I cited above, the funding was accelerated so that remedial
>measures could be taken immediately to protect the economic infrastructure
>and the livelihood of almost a quarter of the Gambian population who
>
>depend, directly or indirectly, on tourism.
>
>Sidi Sanneh
>
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